Police arrest 233 drivers in December crackdown

Police said 144 people were arrested on suspicion of drink driving in December in Devon and Cornwall

More than 230 drivers were arrested in Devon and Cornwall in December as police launched a crackdown on drink and drug driving.

The Christmas Operation Limit campaign led to 43 more arrests than in the same operation last year, a rise of 24%.

Police said they arrested 144 people on suspicion of drink driving.

A further 84 people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, while five failed to provide a sample.

Some drivers were arrested on suspicion of multiple offences, police said.

The campaign ran from 1 December to 1 January.

The youngest person arrested on suspicion of drink driving was 17, while the oldest was 72, police said.

Of the 144 arrested, 113 were men.

'Untold devastation'

Those arrested on suspicion of drug driving were swabbed and those with positive results were taken into custody for blood tests.

In the group of 84 people, 76 were men.

Supt Ryan Doyle of the specialist operations department, said those arrested were "not necessarily the usual suspects".

He said too many "otherwise law-abiding citizens" failed to consider the "untold devastation" that drink and drug driving can cause.

Referring to a 24% increase in drug and drink driving-related arrests, he said people planning a night out should "think about how they are getting home".

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "There is absolutely no excuse for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

"It is a selfish act that needlessly endangers the lives of innocent people."